Sunday, July 12, 2015

Woolen Men

The Woolen Men

Here is an album release poster for The Woolen Men that I created in December 2014. This is another commission from one of my favorite clients, Banana Stand Media!

I have quite a collection of old photographs in my home. They're mostly kept around from when I was doing a lot more collage work. Now-a-days I sometimes use them as reference material. I have a particular series of photographs depicting very sober looking soldiers, posing on a stone fountain covering in creeping vines. They are smoking, and mostly glum shots. I wouldn't quite classify their gazes as the traumatized "thousand-yard stare," but I'm left with the feeling that they are looking into their own futures. Perhaps expecting that outcome. These were photos I acquired while living in Michigan. From their shoulder sleeve insignias, and the help of a few choice Internet search terms, I've learned that they are all soldiers from the U.S. 32nd Infantry Division, which consisted of soldiers from Michigan and Wisconsin. Here's an interesting tidbit from wikipedia about the origins of red arrow insignia:

It was the first allied division to pierce the German Hindenburg Line of defense, and the 32nd then adopted its shoulder patch; a line shot through with a red arrow, to signify its tenacity in piercing the enemy line. It then became known as the Red Arrow Division.

The band's name, The Woolen Men, got me thinking of these old photographs. So I dug up my morose soldiers in hopes of incorporating their demeanor into the illustration. Here is a scan of one of my favorites, Mac.